These last few weeks have been tumultuous. Maybe it’s the impending seasonal shift, or the volatility of a winter that won’t stop exerting itself, or maybe it’s those last, lingering traces of Mercury Retrograde, but for whatever reason, I’ve been struggling with a lot of stressors recently. It seems that my usual routine isn’t cutting it to keep me breathing and calm, so I’ve started working on shaking up my personal practices to help me find my center.
In particular, I’ve rediscovered my love for aromatherapy blends. I’ve always enjoyed working with scents in my home, but lately, I’m working with scents for myself as well as my space, adding pink grapefruit oil to my weekly detoxifying bath, dabbing vanilla on my temples to help me sooth my clenched jaw, and opening the bottle of rosemary oil whenever I need a pick-me-up.
When I was a pre-teen, the scent I claimed as my own was vanilla. I don’t really know why I wanted to smell liked baked goods, but my vanilla spray was my cherished accessory for years. Since that scent still carries strong positive energy for me, I’ve always used it a lot in our household blends, and now I’m experimenting with it in my personal blends, too.
It’s amazing how much scent can shift my mood, and I’m enjoying re-learning what I used to know almost intuitively about which oils to use at which times. I’ve even started blending essential oils with a carrier oil, trying to craft scents which combine instinct with Ayurvedic intention. It’s a fun process, and one that I hope I can literally bottle for future use.
Another skill I’ve turned to in these bizarre up-and-down days has been Reiki. Last fall, I received my level one Reiki attunements, but I didn’t really keep up my practice over the winter. Now, however, I’m reminding myself of the process and using Reiki on my chakras each night before sleep. It’s helped with some of the residual tension I tend to lug around, and I’ve found that the more I tune in to the Reiki energy, the easier it is to get the flow of energy started.
Am I cured of my crazy stress reactions? Not by a long shot, but I am feeling more empowered in my ability to energetically manage stress. My next goal? Combining the aromatherapy work with Reiki and charging my scent blends once I’m ready to bottle them. Once I get the blends right, I’m hoping to have a little bottle of calming energy that I can keep on hand as the season continues to shift and my life continues to flip.
How do you use your energy to combat the frazzled, frantic feelings of stress?
The Busy Witch is published on alternate Tuesdays. Follow it via RSS or e-mail!
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